Chapter 8: Bestowing the Name Little Zao

The You King's mansion's rear palace now only has one main hall; the You King is still young and has no wife or concubine, so the financially strained governor and officials have built a shabby sleeping hall, newly named Suiyu.

Baili Jing went back to change his clothes, refusing to let Zhao Bao rest in Suiyu Hall, saying that after several days in the carriage he needed to move his muscles and bones, and no matter what he wouldn't let Zhao Bao follow.

Zhao Bao wouldn't really rest; the four little eunuchs who followed him were young and inexperienced, and he simply couldn't trust letting them accompany His Highness.

Not letting him follow, he stood under the eaves of Suiyu Hall, watching from afar as the You King Prince ran about wildly outside.

He stared so intently that Baili Jing didn't dare to act directly, so he simply started playing around in earnest.

In You Prefecture he was the highest authority, and no one anymore constantly watched to see if his bearing was proper.

He felt pleased.

The You King Prince ran farther and farther, heading deliberately toward the storehouse and stable. When he saw Zhao Bao speaking with two little eunuchs, his figure grew smaller and smaller; the You King Prince turned and ran straight to the stable, without hesitation reaching inside to find the Zao-red horse's icon and clicking 【use】.

A white light flashed, and a Zao-red horse noticeably taller and sturdier than the other horses in the stable successfully stood opposite the manger.

No matter how confused the other little horses were, Baili Jing breathed a sigh of relief.

He was going to clean up this Zao-red horse today, and no one could stop him.

Back when he accidentally released it in Chang'an, the situation had been urgent, and he'd only been focused on the tension, never really examining the horse. Now placed in the stable, beside ordinary horses it simply looked like a heavenly horse!

The neighboring horses already had a fine appearance, being the specialized carriage horses of the princes' ceremonial guard; but compared to this 'initial mount', they were downright short, clumsy, and ugly.

Taking a closer look at this reddish horse, it was tall and well-built, with smooth, athletic muscles; a flick of its head sent its long mane flowing smoothly. Its body was covered with attractive 'decorations' he didn't understand, making it quite distinctive.

"I want to learn to ride, so I need a horse like this!"

He stood on tiptoe straining to see the horse, while Zhao Bao had just said a couple of words to the two little eunuchs; when he looked up again, the frolicking Great King had vanished!

He hurriedly brought the little eunuch and He Guang, running desperately this way, and only when he saw Baili Jing sprawled at the stable door, straining to look inside, did he relax.

The mansion's spaciousness had its advantages: if the Great King got lost running around, he was easy to find.

"Your Highness, what are you doing here? The horse-keeping place smells…… oh, this horse?"

Even the well-informed Zhao Bao was startled by the appearance of this initial mount.

"No, where did this horse come from?"

The You King Prince tilted his head innocently: "Wasn't it sent from below for me? Zhao Bao, quickly bring it out—I've chosen it for learning to ride!"

Saying that, Zhao Bao assumed it had been sent by the You Prefecture commandery as a tribute to His Highness. He was the You King's foremost attendant, but he had no time to keep an eye on the few horses in the stable.

Could he have underestimated the You Prefecture commandery's resources? How could they produce such a horse to offer to His Highness?!

"Could this not be the legendary heavenly horse from the Greater Yuezhi?" It wasn't that he lacked experience; it was that this horse, compared to the You King's ceremonial guard horses, didn't seem like the same species.

The Greater Yuezhi's fine horses are also not uncommon among the Chang'an imperial clan, but seeing such quality was a first for him, very much like the legendary Greater Yuezhi heavenly horse. It's said someone once spotted one in a small tribe of the Greater Yuezhi; heavenly horses are precious and rare, with the Xiongnu in between, and they have never appeared in the Central Plains.

Baili Jing couldn't just stand there watching him ponder; he was practically bursting with impatience at the door, demanding that his new mount be let out.

"I want it! I want it! Hurry and let it out!"

Zhao Bao could ride, so he had the stable manager's palace attendant come open the door and lead out the Zao-red horse.

That attendant was completely bewildered—he hadn't seen this horse when he came in this morning! How did it get in?!

Baili Jing wouldn't give him a chance to speak: "You, you, go tidy a separate room; my beloved horse is to be kept alone from now on!"

The attendant hurriedly knelt in reply.

The horse had no reins, so Zhao Bao had to grab the bit.

He didn't even notice the horse servant's expression, because he had to keep an eye on the Great King circling the horse, worried that the heavenly horse's bad temper might make it kick out at the King.

"Your Highness, stay back—the finer the steed, the worse its temper."

Baili Jing wouldn't believe it—this was his 'initial mount', his!

"This is my king's horse; he's smart enough not to lose his temper with his master!"

When Zhao Chuan came over to take the Great King out, he found three people circling a tall, large horse.

"Is this a saddle pad? It's oddly ingenious……"

"And there's embroidery……"

"Is this for stepping up to mount?"

"Your Highness, there are also some over here—there are two!"

As a military officer, no one could resist the allure of a famous horse; Zhao Chuan finally managed to tear his gaze away from the Zao-red horse and bowed to Baili Jing.

Baili Jing circled back, "Zhao Commander, you're here—now teach the king to ride; once we've got it down we'll go out for a ride on the street!"

Zhao Chuan: ……

Zhao Bao: ……

How confident he is, Great King!

Baili Jing bestowed the name 'Little Zao' on his mount; the nine-foot-tall man Zhao Chuan wore an expression of indescribable feelings.

His face full of worry, Zhao Bao felt his own face bore three big characters: 'Ruined!'

Little Zao came with riding gear, but Baili Jing confirmed that the stirrups were useless for him—his short legs still couldn't reach.

Seeing Little Zao's gentle, enjoying response to Baili Jing's petting, with none of the arrogance of a prized heavenly horse, everyone relaxed a bit.

Finally Zhao Chuan lifted him up, then Zhao Bao led the horse from ahead while Zhao Chuan guided and protected the king's safety from the side, the little eunuch and He Guang stood on the other side, and the three surrounded Baili Jing.

Baili Jing sat in the saddle and found it quite comfortable; riding was nowhere near as tiring as Zhao Bao had said.

When the horse's hooves struck the blue stone slabs of the passageway, they made a 'click-click-click' sound; Zhao Chuan risked being stepped on twice to lie on the ground and observe, discovering that the horse's hooves were actually lined with a layer of metal?!

How extravagant!

The expert Zhao Chuan glanced at the You King Prince's short legs, then at the stirrups swinging below, and fell into thought.

If the Prince's legs were a bit longer…… stepping onto the mounting block hanging from the horse, he could sit more stably…… even free his hands!

And with that metal underneath, isn't it like a hard shoe sole that could protect the hooves? Then…… would a barded warhorse's service life be longer?!

So expertise has its specialty; meanwhile He Guang thought the horse's click-clack steps were extremely imposing, truly befitting the lord's beloved horse!

And Zhao Chuan, having fought in battles for many years, became overexcited after figuring it out, "Your Highness, which artisan made this? It's simply a great talent!"

Prince You: …If you say it out loud, you might not believe it—a glowing frame was given to me. If I were to give it a name, it would probably be called Capital Prosperity Dream?

The King's inner thoughts were rich, but he nodded calmly on the surface, "Not bad, this undulating cushion also suits my wishes; I allow Commander Zhao to make a set for himself later."

"Thank you, Your Highness! This set of equipment lets one sit more steadily on horseback; if it were installed on Your Highness's cavalry, then later, with both hands free to fight, they would surely be more brave." He spoke excitedly.

Prince You's Imperial Guard Battalion numbers three thousand; of them, five hundred are cavalry, and the remaining two thousand five hundred are infantry.

Bai Li Jing cared deeply for his own life; he was busy enjoying the pleasure of horseback riding, hearing only the words 'brave in killing the enemy' among a few sentences, he waved his small hand and approved.